Historic forestry college to admit last students

By Daphne Vrahimi

Published on December 18, 2012

THE CYPRUS Forestry College which has trained thousands of forestry officials over the past 60 years will close down next year, the ministry of agriculture announced yesterday.

Situated in Prodromos, in a central position within the island’s main state forest, the college was ideally located for students training in forestry. The college was also highly beneficial for the village of Prodromos, as part of the students’ education included working on and tending to the forest grounds immediately surrounding the college, with students often being on a 24-hour duty for the upkeep of the area.

“The decision to close down the college has come after a four-year-long study on whether it should continue operating and has not been premature or hasty,” Andreas Christou, the department of forests spokesman said yesterday. He said the growing number of forestry graduates from Greece, who are equally or better qualified than Cyprus Forestry College graduates, had made it increasingly difficult for those from the Prodromos college to find jobs. High running costs were another reason which led to the decision to close the college, he said.

The Cyprus Forestry College was established in 1951 and offered diplomas and higher diplomas in forestry. It has been a part of the Leonardo da Vinci programme, the Socrates/Erasmus educational exchange network and other European educational programmes. 

Cyprus Green Party MP Giorgos Perdikis said the number of unemployed forestry graduates, which now stands at 120, played an important part in this decision. 

“The college was a great help for the village of Prodromos. It is a pity it is closing down, for the village and for students from abroad, from Africa and Asia. They are considered everlasting friends of Cyprus,” he said.

Christou said the college will enrol around six new first year students next year and these will be the college’s final students.

He said there would be no redundancies at the college.

“College personnel were not only for teaching or training and will therefore continue to work in the Forestry College, which will function in the future as a training centre for forest officials, forest workers and firemen, as well as further training. No one is being let go,” he added. 

Πηγές: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/andreas-christou/historic-forestry-college-admit-last-students/20121218

http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/fc/Forestry.nsf/index_gr/index_gr?OpenDocument